Computer accessory maker HyperMac has announced that it will cease the sale of patented MagSafe MacBook charging cables on Nov. 2, 2010, in response to a lawsuit from Apple.

Sanho, the parent company of HyperMac, made the announcement on its website Monday. The letter to customers was also utilized in an effort to generate some final sales, with the Nov. 2 deadline being pitched as a "last call" for purchases.

"While we will continue to sell the same batteries together with the rest of our product line after November 2nd, they will not be able to charge MacBooks without the cables," the accessory maker wrote. The official deadline is at midnight on Nov. 2, Pacific Time.

As first revealed by AppleInsider in September, Apple has sued Sanho Corporation over alleged violation of patents it owns related to MagSafe cables, as well as cables that use the iPod 30-pin connection. The Sunnyvale, Calif., corporation has been accused of infringing on six MagSafe- and iPod-related patents.

Instead of mimicking Apple's patented MagSafe connectors, Sanho's products rely on official MagSafe products actually manufactured by Apple. The company previously touted that its use of those official products ensured "maximum compatibility."

Named in the suit were the company's magnetic power adapters, known as MBP-PRO, MBP-AIR and a MacBook car charger dubbed MBP-CAR. The suit also singles out chargers for the iOS ecosystem of devices, including the "HyperMac Nano," "HyperMac Micro" and "HyperMac Mini" products.

The HyperMac product line includes a number of small, portable external batteries that can provide extra power to portable devices on the go. Apple, in its official complaint with a U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California, said it notified Sanho of its alleged infringement via three official letters sent in 2010, before the complaint was filed.

This should have been done a long time ago. HM is taking legitimate power cables, cutting off a part of it, and adapting it to their battery. Nevermind the part about the Made-4-Mac program, how about the liability. If something goes wrong with your Mac as a result of these cables, who do you think is on the hook for repairs? Not HM.

I'm sure Psystar can use their expertise.

Apple has no competition. Every commercial product which competes directly with an Apple product gives the distinct impression that, Where it is original, it is not good, and where it is good, it...

This should have been done a long time ago. HM is taking legitimate power cables, cutting off a part of it, and adapting it to their battery. Nevermind the part about the Made-4-Mac program, how about the liability. If something goes wrong with your Mac as a result of these cables, who do you think is on the hook for repairs? Not HM.

I'm sure Psystar can use their expertise.

Yep, one of the more ballsy attempts to jump on the Apple success bandwagon. They'd fit right in there with the Psystar team for sure!

From Apple ][ - to new Mac Pro I've owned them all.Long on AAPL so biased"Google doesn't sell you anything, Google just sells you!"

So to get to be a global moderator isn't based on common sense (recognizing an obvious joke)

Obviously you are not familiar with how stupid some people can be. I clearly indicated that I suspected (hoped?) that it was a joke, but I have often seen people make similar statements with all sincerity.

Obviously you are not familiar with how stupid some people can be. I clearly indicated that I suspected (hoped?) that it was a joke, but I have often seen people make similar statements with all sincerity.

You should quote in full, not to suit your reply. It was the second paragraph I found most out of character.

Trust me I am used to how 'less than intelligent' ppl can be here.

Not trying to upset you honestly. I am on a crusade to try to bring civility to AI ...

From Apple ][ - to new Mac Pro I've owned them all.Long on AAPL so biased"Google doesn't sell you anything, Google just sells you!"

Obviously you are not familiar with how stupid some people can be. I clearly indicated that I suspected (hoped?) that it was a joke, but I have often seen people make similar statements with all sincerity.

I don't know Mr. H. You can be a bit judgmental and inflexible at times. And such negativity in your post.

Also, isn't name calling forbidden here? If so, you shouldn't refer to people as stupid.

Why? I mean these battery packs are great for long haul flights - just great devices. I mean its not like apple let you replace batteries on long flights now anyway with the built-in battery design
Really pointless lawsuit and bad outcome.

I mean its not like apple let you replace batteries on long flights now anyway with the built-in battery design...

Someone at work was considering a MacBook. I had him 99% sold until we got to the non removable battery. I gave him all the Steve jobs' arguments (better battery life, better design, think different, etc) but in the end I lost him. A non removable battery is just too weird for a lot of people.

Glad I have an older MacBook with a removable battery, matte screen and firewire. I hope it lasts forever.

Someone at work was considering a MacBook. I had him 99% sold until we got to the non removable battery. I gave him all the Steve jobs' arguments (better battery life, better design, think different, etc) but in the end I lost him. A non removable battery is just too weird for a lot of people.

Glad I have an older MacBook with a removable battery, matte screen and firewire. I hope it lasts forever.

Well, I currently get around 8 hours battery life on my MacBook Pro. My old Powerbook used to get around 3-4 hours on a good day.

The way I see it is that for most flights or business trips I'm good to go on the battery that Apple supplies. I accept that this will not suit everyone but the amount of PC users out there who clamour for a removable battery purely out of habbit because hey their current pc notebook running Windows only gets 3 hours battery life and they are used to swapping batteries is crazy.

Why? I mean these battery packs are great for long haul flights - just great devices. I mean its not like apple let you replace batteries on long flights now anyway with the built-in battery design
Really pointless lawsuit and bad outcome.

Well done apple lawer vermin - what a great victory....

Have you never been on a decent carriers jet ?
Every single flight I have taken internationally has had some kind of plug in for a laptop all the way back though coach seating.

I am not saying this is a bad product, however the argument of needing it on a flight is senseless.

Why did they just not license the connector/s from Apple in the first place.

I accept that this will not suit everyone but the amount of PC users out there who clamour for a removable battery purely out of habbit because hey their current pc notebook running Windows only gets 3 hours battery life and they are used to swapping batteries is crazy.

It could be habit that scared my friend off of getting a MacBook. People are used to doing things a certain way for many years and Apple comes up with a different way which freaks people out.

Personally I don't have an issue with an improved battery, but I still think the non removable part was unnecessary and either a way to get you into the store or a way to keep you from tossing old batteries into the landfill.

This is silly. This company is MODIFYING a genuine product, not manufacturing a clone in violation of Apple's patent. I'd bet dollars to donuts that beginning in December this company will start offering a service where consumers can send in their own magsafe cables to have the battery connector installed on the opposite end of the magsafe cable.

I'm entitled to my opinion. And my opinion is that in this case Apple are being c*nts.

I'm sorry for going off topic, but I have to ask....In the UK, businesses aren't considered entities like they are in the US? Because being an entity, which is singular, means that you use verbs such as 'is' instead of 'are'.

Just curious.

In a previous general discussion thread this topic was talked about and someone said it has to do with a business being made up of multiple people. But, again, in US legal terms, a business is seen as a single person.

After living in the Europe for the past few years, it has really become apparent how different British English is from American English....AKA wrong ;P j/k

But is Apple complaining about Sanho reusing their parts or just not paying royalties/licensing fees? To some extent, I can see what they're doing as being quite positive...they're recycling old/used parts.

I'm sorry for going off topic, but I have to ask....In the UK, businesses aren't considered entities like they are in the US? Because being an entity, which is singular, means that you use verbs such as 'is' instead of 'are'.

Yes, legally speaking, in the UK a company is an entity and is therefore singular. However, as you say, a company (apart from a sole trader) is also a collection of multiple individuals. As a result, it is considered grammatically acceptable in British English to refer to companies in either the singular or plural, with the latter being most common in my experience.

I have said this before, there is clearly a reason that apple will not license the connector to anyone.

The primary reason I see is safety, they do not want people charging their batteries anywhere except where you can plug it into a AC wall outlet. I know this does not hold much water anymore, because some planes today do have an AC outlet, hell my new car has an AC outlet that I can charge me computer now.

Away, the worst time for bad things to happen to a battery is when it is being charged. The last thing Apple would want happening is the battery catching fire on a plane. Imagine all the bad things that would happen if battery shorts out on a plane.

I can not find any other business reason for apple not to license this, considering they do not make a competing product, oh I know they make a car or plane power adapter but it does not charge the battery it only keeps the battery from being run down. This also points to what I pointed out above.

Why didn't HyperMac just pay the "Mac/iPod" licensing fee and build their own cable? Oh right, that costs more, they actually have to do R&D, and make their own unique product. It's much easier to piggyback off someone else's R&D, modify their product, and raise profit margins, patents and licenses be damned.

Apple is doing the right thing. HyperMac is just riding the wave (ripple more likely) of media, casting themselves as poor little David under Goliath's polished-black lawyer's shoe.

If HyperMac really wanted to keep a viable business when they received those cease and desist letters from Apple, they could've approached Apple with a licensing fee and an apology and pulled their products with an announcement, "Creating brilliant new products, coming soon!" Then actually create something all their own and possibly be surprised at their own capabilities.... Or they could've just stopped shipping cables with their products, I guess like they are doing now.

When a company stops chasing profit and start chasing the betterment of their products, services, workforce, and customers, that will be the most valuable company in the world.

Obviously you are not familiar with how stupid some people can be. I clearly indicated that I suspected (hoped?) that it was a joke, but I have often seen people make similar statements with all sincerity.

You did not "clearly indicate that you suspected it was a joke" at all. You asked ... "is this a joke"? ..... as in ... I can't tell if this is a joke or not, please enlighten me.

It was your classless view of Apple that bothers me .... even when another poster pointed that out to you ... you repeated the statement. You need to expand your vocabulary! ... and AI has to raise the standards for global moderators.

Apple, bigger than Google, √ ..... bigger than Microsoft, √ The universe is unfolding as it should. Thanks, Apple.

I'm entitled to my opinion. And my opinion is that in this case Apple are being c*nts.

And, for the record, a lot of us agree with that assessment in this case. There is a solution desired by the end-users that Apple does not supply and goes out of its way to prevent others from supplying. When one innovative company finds a loophole that allows it to legally provide the solution, harming no one, Apple uses its legal might to pummel that company into submission. Seriously c*nty.

I know I'm in a niche market, but when I've shot in remote locations external batteries are helpful when you don't have a base-camp with electric or generators. Would Nikon, Canon, Panasonic or Sony ever release a camera with internal batteries? I don't think so. Journalists and documentary photogs/ Videographers would freak.

I understand that they should probably pay a licensing fee (BTW where would they get the connectors from?) In a all honesty Apple should let this one go. It's such a small market. I wonder if this has anything to do with Apple's obsession over image? As in, they stopped selling screen protectors in their stores to change the perception that the iphone and IPT doesn't need them. You still can't get a silicone skin for the ipad in their stores either. Only overpriced leather portfolios (and the worst ones at that; I'd recommend buying one online for 1/3rd of the price).

I mean ok, Apple doesn't want people to think they must "have" a skin because the device is "fragile" if you will, but that's ridiculous. All electronic devices are fragile to some degree and people want to protect them however they can. Apple devices are no different than any other. They don't scratch more or less their batteries don't really last infinitely any longer either. I understand their manipulating perception (go add agency!) but please. Reality is what it is.

So back to my original hypothesis... is this an issue Apple has with the perception of the internal (non-swappable) battery being a bad idea? I have a feeling this is part of the dispute and it's not just about licensing the part.

Also great advertising for hypermac. I'm going to buy a bunch of thier stuff right now.

turtles all the way up and turtles all the way down... infinite context means infinite possibility

Why? I mean these battery packs are great for long haul flights - just great devices. I mean its not like apple let you replace batteries on long flights now anyway with the built-in battery design
Really pointless lawsuit and bad outcome.

Well done apple lawer vermin - what a great victory....

Do they even let in the airplanes nowadays, with batteries and cables hanging out?

Just because consumers might want that companies "solution" ... does not make it "legal". You need to brush up on what's legal and what's not.

Me for example.
I finally bought a TV episode from itunes, only to find out you cant play it with any other programs besides itunes or quicktime.
Hey, I cant even play it with my WD live media player.
I bet finding a way to remove that protection would be illegal.